Still Life with Robin: January 20 Is a Special Day

Photo by Eva K.

by Peggy Robin

So much happening today. There’s the Women’s March on Washington (11 AM rally followed by the actual March to the White House at 1). And the start of the government shut-down (or is going to be un-shut by a last-minute deal?) And on a more local level, there’s the impending Johnson’s Garden Center shut-down. Or will there be a rescue here too? And then there’s a warming trend expected to bring balmy weather, so soon after the snow. Who knows? There could even be Christmas tree pickups today, too.

With all these important things going on (or not!), it's easy to lose sight of a special day that happens once a year – though you may not have celebrated it before. Well, now you know: It’s National Cheese Lovers Day! And yes, it’s a real thing -- not something cooked up by the Dairy Lobby. (Do people call that lobby “Big Cheese”? I wonder….) This is a day on the calendar of notable days, and you can google it if you don’t believe me. Or just go to: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-cheese-lovers-day-january-20/

But where can you celebrate it? I tried to google restaurants and cheese shops in this area that are hosting National Cheese Lovers Day events, and came up with a nice free cheese sampling party at Whole Foods….but not here. It’s  in Chattanooga, Tennessee: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/store/event/national-cheese-lovers-day-tasting-event

I tried again but put “Washington, DC” up front in the search box. Well, that got me a little closer, I guess, with a hit in NC, but it’s still not DC. It’s this wine and cheese pairing event at Southern Season in Chapel Hill, North Carolina: https://www.visitchapelhill.org/event/national-cheese-lovers-day-celebration/13635/. If the third time’s the charm – then I offer up a dozen fine cheesemongers who recognize the importance of National Cheese Lovers Day….but every single last one of them is in The Big Apple. Go to http://donyc.com/p/where-to-celebrate-national-cheese-day to count all twelve.

If there’s a place here in DC hosting an official National Cheese Lovers Day party, I couldn’t find it. But that doesn’t mean we still can’t enjoy this day in our own cheesy way. Break out your gouda, your cheddar, your chevre, whatever you happen to have on hand, and have the happiest NCLD in DC!

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.